Family Services Office Hours is designed to quickly provide access to resources that are available and free to the entire autism community.

The Office Hours sessions are staffed by ART coordinators who are specially trained to connect families affected by autism to resources.

2:32

Hey Everyone! We will be on in 25 minutes! Hang on!

2:57

Just getting ready to go!

3:02

Welcome to Office Hours! Family Services is taking questions and we are here to help offer resources and guidance!

3:03

Comment From Jennifer

My son is 4 and has PDD-NOS. His teacher says she does not see any reason why he can’t be in a regular Kindergarden next year. Is it possibe that his current diagnosis can improve…and then regress as he gets older?

3:04

Hi Jennifer! Children with autism progress at different times. Make sure that he has an IEP in place and be sure to measure his goals and objectives to make sure that he is infect making progress!

My 18 mo old son has just been diagnosed. I’m having a hard time finding treatment options. The state (WI) funding has a 2 yr waiting list and our pivate insurance is self funded so they don’t have to do much. He is in speech therapy 3 x a week and occupational 1 month. What else can I do? He was rated as moderate on the scale.

3:08

Hi Guest! That is great that he is already in those therapies! Early intervention is key! Early Intervention is Federally mandated. Please check out our Resource Guide for your state to find a facility near you. Here is a link!http://www.autismspeaks.org/resource-guide

Have you heard of Irene law and how it effects grade advancement from third grade forward?

3:10

hi Dawn, I haven’t heard of Irene law. Can you tell me about it?

3:11

Comment From Kristen

I posted earlier Gabe is my 18 month old. With the research I have been doing I have read that there is a higher insidence in siblings. I have a 4 year old, no concerns there, but we also have a 2 month old. How early can you really look for signs of autism?

Be sure to work with your clinician to follow the progress of your children and to discuss any further concerns

3:15

Comment From melina

I am in England and my 4 year old son has all signs of classic autism, but i cant get a pediatrician to give a diagnosis. any suggestions?

3:16

Hi Melina. You may want to ask your child’s doctor for a referral to a developmental pediatrician or a neurologist. It is very important that you get the diagnosis sooner rather than later. You are doing the right thing by seeking further clarification about your son’s status!

3:17

Comment From Jessica

My son is 4 years old and was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2. He has a HUGE problem with eating his poop and playing in it! I am desperatly asking anyone to help me help him! Thank you

3:18

Hi Jessica. I’m sorry to hear that you are having this difficulty. This is important information for your son’s treatment team to know. You can start by talking to your pediatrician or your son’s IEP team. You should not feel alone with this problem, there are plenty of other parents who have experienced this! Talking to professionals is a key first step to understanding what is causing this to happen.

3:20

Comment From melina

i tried that and the gp who only met my son once for 5 minuets said he couldn’t be autistic because he sat on a chair

3:20

Hi Melina. It is very important that you find a gp or pediatrician who will listen to your concerns and help meet your needs. Do not give up, you are doing the right thing!

3:21

Hi Janine, it important to work closely with your daughter’s clinician and get the support you need to in order to access services.

3:23

Hi Guest and Adrienna! We have a very extensive resource guide that you can use to help find therapists in your area. Simply go towww.autismspeaks.org/resource-guide, click on your state and search among our many categories. Enter your zip code and expand the radius so you can find all possible options in your state.

3:23

Comment From Adrienna

My 3 yr old has been diagnosed with autism and I was wondering if you knew of any sites where I could find behavioral specialists or obtain behavioral intervention in the state of KY?

3:23

Comment From Guest

My son will be 4 next month and is currently recieving Speech and OT therapies but they are now recommending ABA therapy which I am told is very costly, are there any resources in opr around Charlotte,NC that I may check out for this or something else that may assist him?

3:23

Hi Guest and Adrienna! We have a very extensive resource guide that you can use to help find therapists in your area. Simply go towww.autismspeaks.org/resource-guide, click on your state and search among our many categories. Enter your zip code and expand the radius so you can find all possible options in your state.

3:24

You can also find local autism organizations in the resource guide in your state that may have more information for you.

3:25

Comment From Linda

school issues…. getting a one on one aid when starting to help the transition. school wants him in school for a couple weeks before an iep can be set up to see if he needs one. we are afraid to start him without one, afraid of maybe making it very hard as he has not had to do any real transitioning and we feel if he has help for a little while that he may not have to continue to have an aid for a long period. he is high functioning and just needs someone to help him get a start. he is 7 and already a yr behind because of our issues with school.

my 3 year old son is in the process of being diagnosed and i am having trouble getting his therapy back since he turned 3. he was reciving early intervention and speech therapy but they told me they had to stop because of his age.

Donna my daughter was two when she was diagnosed and there was a lapse in service when she turned 3 because its defferent providers, but as long as he’s been evaluated by the school district then you’re on the right path.

My autistic son is 5 and will be 6 next week he is in kindergarten and he has a problem with transitions. He really loved his teachers and friends from pre-k but is really having a hard time in kindergarten so far. His teachers send me notes basically everyday about his not paying attention or disturbing the class or throwing a mouse across the class because he didn’t want to get off the computer. Lately he has been saying shut up at home and school and when he does not get his way he says stupid mom, dad or the teacher. I don’t know what to do. Please help.

3:36

Hi Nichelle! You are right to have these concerns. You are doing the right thing to address these problems early. You should call an IEP meeting with your entire team to address these behaviors. You should not feel alone in addressing problems that he is having at school or at home.

Your son is reacting and there is a reason for that. Part of the IEP team’s responsibility is to better understand the reason and what the function of those behaviors are for your son.

3:38

Comment From Charteisha

My son is 14 years old and had autism. He has been aggressive at school…hitting students and the teacher. This is his first year at this new school..high school. I am already becoming concern because the school called me yesterday to pick him up because he was aggressive. I don’t want him to be kicked out of school. I plan to increase his medication…Risperdal to hopefully get better control of his behavior. Any other suggestions?

3:38

Hi Charteisha! We are sorry to hear you are having difficulties with your son. This is something your IEP team and a psychiatrist should address to understand the underlying causes.

I know this may take some tiime but it is so important to have good communication with his teachers and the others who are helping him at school.

3:41

Comment From Amy

I made a comment on how to get a person out of a local trainging center. This person is 40 years of age, counts, knows his color, ABC’s, feeds himself, dresses himself and talks with people. He has Autism and that’s the only reason he is at this trainging center. I would like for him to come live in my home and have a more normal life. Can you help me????

3:42

Hi Amy. Our resource guide has lists of attorneys and advocates that will be able to help you advocate for your friend/family member. Click on your state and then attorneys or advocates and type your zip code. Be sure to expand your search!www.autismspeaks.org/resource-guide

3:43

Hi Adrienna, There is a list of agencies in our resource library.

3:43

Comment From Adrienna

I have tried to look for any financial assistance through on your resource page and everytime I type in my area code and various distances I get nothing. Is there another site I can go to for finding financial assistance?

You may also want to contact local autism organizations listed in the Resource Guide who may know of other funding sources in your area.

3:44

Comment From Gillian

My son is 2 1/2 and was diagnosed with autism/pdd-nos at the age of 18 months. My husband does a lot of online research and lately all of this information keeps popping up about a link between autism and lyme disease and I wanted to get other mother’s opinions and/or personal experiences with this line of thinking

3:45

Hi Gillian. We are not aware of any relationship between Lyme disease and autism. If you have concerns, you should ask your pediatrician about it. You can also emailresearch@autismspeaks.org to get answers from our science team.

3:46

It is important for all of you to remember that while the internet has lots of perks and is a great source for information, please be careful with what you read, especially about autism. There are a lot of different theories out there, many from untrusted sources!

3:46

Comment From donna

is there any where i can get help to help my family to be able to communicate with my son better?

My son is 6 and just got a PDD-NOS diagnosis this past summer…Before that he had a ADHD diagnosis which the school did not buy….But NOW they don’t seem to buy the PDD-NOS either?! What can I do to make sure we are all looking at him through the same lense for his next IEP meeting

3:55

Hi Guest. It is important that everyone who works with your son understands his strengths and limitations. This may be done by doing assessments of his different skill sets. The IEP must include lots of assessment data and information about your child’s status.

3:56

The areas of difficulty and strength are much more important than the actual diagnosis since every child on the autism spectrum is so different!

We look forward to hearing from you all again next Wednesday at Office Hours! And as always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our Autism Response Team at 888-AUTISM2 or familyservices@autismspeaks.org

My son has asperger syndrome and it’s getting harder for him to fit in now that he enters high school. He does not have any friends in school or in the neighborhood i desperately need help in finding help to connect him with other children like himself. Please help me.

Hi Joyce,
I am a school social worker. It is understandable that your son is having a more difficult time now in high school, and I’m guessing his middle or junior high school years were also difficult. You can expect that the school social worker serving your school should see your son for assistance with non-verbal social messages and the variety of “unwritten social rules”
See one of these two excellent resources also:
The Hidden Curriculum: Practical Solutions for Understanding Unstated Rules in Social Situations: by Brenda Smith Myles
and
Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships: Decoding Social Mysteries through the Unique Perspectives
Author(s): Temple Grandin, Sean Barron
And websites: http://www.wrongplanet.net/postt101619.htmlhttp://www.aspiesforfreedom.com/showthread.php?tid=14090

Check for resources in your area where social groups are conducted for kids your child’s age.
Good luck!

MK

Joyce :
My son has asperger syndrome and it’s getting harder for him to fit in now that he enters high school. He does not have any friends in school or in the neighborhood i desperately need help in finding help to connect him with other children like himself. Please help me.
Joyce

what kind of help can we get for our son in south texas. he is 9 and has had great progress but our insurance does not cover anything. he has made great progress since we started the diet when he was 3. he needs social therapy but our insurance does no cover more than 30 visits.i have a good job so we are not low income but my wife cant work because she stays home with our son.where can we go from here. the school doesnt offer anything.